When Japanese Meets English: 150 Years of Japanese and English-Japanese/Japanese-English Dictionaries

What Happened to Japanese at That Time?

This book examines the 150-year history of the Japanese language since the Meiji period, focusing on "Japanese" in English dictionaries. When considering changes in the Japanese language since the Meiji period, the influence of English-Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries compiled during the Meiji and Taisho periods cannot be overlooked. What ingenuity was used to create these English dictionaries, and what kind of Japanese was used to describe them? First of all, how were the headwords in English-Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries created during the period from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period, when the Japanese language's form was still in a state of uncertainty? How did headwords and definitions (word interpretations) change after that? This book provides a three-dimensional depiction of the twists and turns that led to the Japanese language's current form, while providing an overview of the establishment and development of English dictionaries. Includes numerous illustrations.